Storage Snapshot Lineage Orchestration via Virtualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing information processing systems face challenges in efficiently orchestrating snapshot shipping from local snapshot lineages on storage systems to cloud snapshot lineages on cloud storage, leading to inefficiencies in data management and recovery processes.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an apparatus with processing devices configured to identify and manage snapshot lineages using virtualization software. This apparatus selects snapshots for copying, creates cloud storage volumes, maps them to local snapshots, and uses a data mover to write snapshot data to cloud storage, optimizing snapshot shipping and recovery processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual snapshot shipping orchestration is used, then flexibility in managing snapshot lineages is maintained, but operational complexity and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the snapshot shipping orchestration automatically identifies snapshots, selects destinations, and executes copy operations without manual intervention. The automated orchestration engine monitors snapshot lineages and triggers shipping operations based on predefined policies, eliminating the need for manual orchestration while maintaining operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring shipping policies, destination mappings, and selection criteria before snapshot shipping is needed. These predefined configurations enable the automated system to quickly execute snapshot shipping operations without requiring real-time manual decision-making, thus reducing operational time while maintaining flexibility.
2Reliability
If comprehensive snapshot copying is performed, then data recovery reliability is improved, but data transmission volume and storage costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and copies only the necessary snapshot data to cloud storage destinations based on predefined selection criteria such as age, size, and importance. By selectively copying only relevant snapshots rather than all snapshots, the system maintains data recovery reliability for critical data while minimizing unnecessary data transmission and storage consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different quality levels and copying strategies to different snapshots based on their characteristics. Critical snapshots receive full copying with high reliability, while less important snapshots may use incremental copying or compression. This localized quality approach ensures data recovery reliability where needed while reducing overall data transmission volume.
3Reliability
If frequent snapshot lineages are maintained, then data protection capability is enhanced, but storage resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments snapshot lineages into different categories based on their protection requirements, age, and importance. By dividing the snapshot portfolio into segments with different retention policies and storage destinations, the system maintains frequent snapshots for critical data protection while archiving or deleting less critical snapshots, thus balancing data protection capability with storage resource consumption.
4Productivity
If automated snapshot selection is implemented, then operational efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtualization software is designed with multi-functionality to handle multiple snapshot management tasks including identification, selection, copying, and orchestration within a single integrated platform. By consolidating these functions into a universal system, the software achieves high operational efficiency while managing complexity through unified architecture rather than multiple separate tools.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprises at least one processing device configured to identify, utilizing virtualization software running on a storage system, a snapshot lineage comprising snapshots of a storage volume, the snapshot lineage comprising (i) a local snapshot lineage on storage devices of the storage system and (ii) a cloud snapshot lineage on cloud storage external to the storage system. The processing device is also configured to utilize the virtualization software to select a given snapshot in the local snapshot lineage to copy to the cloud snapshot lineage, to create a cloud storage volume on the cloud storage, and to map the cloud storage volume to the given snapshot in the local snapshot lineage. The processing device is further configured to copy the given snapshot to the cloud snapshot lineage by utilizing a data mover of the storage system to write data of the given snapshot to the cloud storage volume.